Chapter 104: The Chaos in Czechoslovakia

“Look at those Germans. They’re also in an economic crisis, but at least they have some potatoes and vegetable leaves to eat. What about us? We work all day with empty stomachs,” a worker said, sitting by a cold machine and sighing. He nudged a large iron tong lying on the ground back and forth with the tip of his foot.

“Are you sure?” a worker next to him sneered. “We haven’t worked for several days! Working with empty stomachs? If there were work to do, at least there would be a little bit of hope. Now that we’re not working, we can only starve to death!”

The complaining worker said helplessly, “We are also Germanic people. The most outstanding people, as Mr. Rudolph said. Why should we starve while our compatriots in the motherland have food to eat?”

“Mr. Rudolph is now the Chancellor of Germany. He has a way to save the Germanic people in Germany, but he has no way to save us! Because we are being oppressed here!” a worker not far away interjected, speaking with indignation.

His face was filled with anger. He waved his hand twice and continued, “We originally had a little bit of work to do, but those Czech bosses at the main factory are like parasites. They used our factory’s funds to save themselves, which is why we’ve ended up in this state!”

“Stop talking! The foreman is coming!” a worker walked over and whispered a word of caution.

“Even if I’m here, the reasoning is the same!” the foreman said angrily as he walked over. “We’re already like this! And they still want us to sell off what little raw materials we have left at a low price. We’re going to be completely finished in the future!”

“Sir! Lead us in a strike! If we don’t do something, we won’t be able to live!” a worker stepped forward and pleaded.

“That’s right, sir! We have to save ourselves!” “Sir! Save us, please!” Behind him, many workers stood up and spoke.

“Gentlemen! I am a foreman! But I am even more so a Germanic man! Germanic people should be united! We want to return to the embrace of our motherland! We want to be like our compatriots in Germany! To eat black bread! To eat potato and vegetable leaves!” the foreman said, raising his right arm high and speaking loudly. “We’re not going to take it anymore! Strike!”

“Strike!” all the workers roared.

…

“Ring, ring, ring.” The telephone rang urgently. A big-bearded policeman wearing a police steel helmet snatched the receiver and said in a lazy and programmatic way, “Hello! This is the police station! How may I help you?”

“Fifth Street! There’s a strike on Fifth Street! They’re rioting! Many people are holding up flags with separatist intentions! We can’t hold them back much longer! We request reinforcements! Quick! We request reinforcements!” On the other end of the line, a policeman shouted for help.

“Wooooo…!” The alarm echoed over the military garrison. Soldiers ran out of their barracks, got into their cars, and drove to the famous nearby city of Karlovy Vary. There, they were ordered to confront several thousand agitated strikers with barbed wire and rifles. Both sides were on the verge of a fight, and it looked like a conflict could break out at any moment.

Soon, the local Czech garrison brought their heavy weapons. Two armored cars drove into the city center and brought the situation under control in the area of the most severe confrontation. But this strike still caused turmoil in nearly half of the regions of Czechoslovakia, and the entire country became chaotic.

The First World War had caused a huge empire called Austria-Hungary to fall apart, turning into three small European countries: Austria, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. However, within the territory of Czechoslovakia lived 3.5 million German-speaking Germanic people. These people, who were originally the main ethnic group of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, were suddenly downgraded to a local minority, so the ethnic problem suddenly became acute.

3.5 million people was no small number. One must know that the entire population of Austria in 2014 was less than 7 million. So this German-speaking residential area had its own name—the Sudetenland.

This region was in the northeastern part of Czechoslovakia, right next to the German border. They also received the strongest support from their German compatriots. The equipment provided by the Greater Germany Party to these strikers even surpassed that of the regular army of some countries. They had rifles and pistols, and even dozens of radios and nearly a hundred motor vehicles.

Of course, those strikers and anti-government personnel also received a large amount of food aid at the same time: canned food, potatoes, vegetable leaves, and even “margarine,” a food that seemed rather luxurious during the economic crisis. They received a batch of it all. To have someone provide food even when not working made the German-speaking residents of the Sudetenland, who longed for their “motherland,” even more ferociously hostile towards the Czech government.

…

“Orders from above! Deal with the strike and riots here immediately!” a Czech officer said to his adjutant. “According to reliable sources, Germany is moving troops to our border here. If the situation continues to be chaotic, we will become even more passive.”

“We have strong defensive fortifications on the border, Colonel. If the Germans start a war, they will be met with our fierce counter-attack,” his adjutant said, pointing to the border region with Germany on the map.

The officer shook his head and tapped the defensive line on the border with his finger. “Here, and here! If we don’t resolve the domestic riots, then the troops in these fortifications will all become trapped rabbits.”

“President Tomáš Masaryk has ordered that we must suppress these rioting German-speaking residents!” another officer behind him said, pointing at the map. “And President Tomáš Masaryk has assured the military that both Britain and France will stand on our side, so it is impossible for the Germans to launch an attack.”

“I hope you’re right! Order the troops to begin the suppression!” In the command post, the leading Czech general ordered his subordinates, “If you encounter armed resistance, you are permitted to return fire! But warn all troops participating in the operation that they must not fire first! Is that understood?”

“Yes, General!” everyone replied, standing at attention and saluting.

“Get back!” On the streets of Karlovy Vary, a Czech soldier held his rifle and pointed it at a protester holding a protest sign high, shouting with a guarded expression.

“Down with the dictator! We want freedom!” the man holding the sign shouted back loudly.

“If you come any closer, we will open fire!” another Czech soldier also shouted, holding his own gun.

“Germans should be ruled by Germans! The Sudetenland is German territory! You are the ones who should get out!” a woman shouted loudly in German.

“Back off, gentlemen! Please remain calm!” the Czech soldiers warned again.

“Ptooey!” In response, someone from the other side spat at them.

“Bang!” A gunshot rang out from somewhere. A German citizen screamed, then clutched his chest and fell down in the crowd.

The Czech soldiers were all stunned. They turned their heads to look at their comrade. That person stood there in a daze, looking at the muzzle of his gun, his eyes somewhat vacant.

“Bang!” Another gunshot rang out. This dazed Czech soldier was shot in the head. The bullet passed through his steel helmet, taking with it a spray of blood.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” More Czech soldiers opened fire. Some fired blindly at the windows of the tall buildings around them, while others fired into the agitated crowd not far away. The city center of Karlovy Vary instantly turned into a living hell.

In April 1933, the bloody suppression of the rioters and strikers in the Sudetenland began. A bloody conflict occurred in the city of Karlovy Vary. 17 Czech soldiers were killed, and 183 of the rioting German-speaking residents died. The situation became even more chaotic.

…

“I have heard about what happened on our border! I believe that such a dark and evil incident should not happen anywhere in the world! But reality is very cruel! Our weakness has made those who bully our compatriots rampant! They trample on freedom and torment our poor friends and relatives!…”

“Our compatriots are living miserably under the rule of an evil enemy! They have the tenacious will of our Germanic people; there is no doubt about this! But can we just watch like this? We are also Germanic people. Do we just sit by and do nothing? If we really choose to be bystanders, then we are not worthy of calling ourselves Germanic people! Even less worthy of calling ourselves Germans!…”

“Those suffering compatriots must return to our sunlight! We are willing to pay with our blood for this! To offer up our lives! Those evil, shameful, infuriating bastards! Will eventually pay the price they deserve! Long live Germany! Long live the German people!…”

“I will meet with the British and French governments and make my own efforts to resolve this infuriating incident! Germany will maintain regional stability and peace! We will not stand idly by in the face of such evil acts happening around us!…”

“God bless the people of the Sudetenland! I hope they will no longer shed blood and sacrifice. God bless the Germanic nation! I hope we can unite and fight together against the injustice forced upon us! God bless Germany! A beautiful future will surely come!…”

On February 27, 1933, the then-Chancellor of Germany, Akado Rudolph, delivered the historically famous “An Address to all the People of the Sudetenland” speech in the German Parliament. This speech received the unanimous approval of all members of parliament. Even parties like the Nazi Party and the Communist Party, which had always sung a different tune from the Greater Germany Party, showed unprecedented support.

The German public was even more stirred up. The call for the government to send troops to save their compatriots came in wave after wave. People demonstrated and marched in the streets and alleys of Berlin, burning the national flag of Czechoslovakia and voicing their support for the resistance movement of their compatriots far away in the Sudetenland.

Against this backdrop, the German government opened negotiations with the British and French governments, beginning a long diplomatic melee over the issue of the Sudetenland.